Wednesday, September 9, 2009

I wasn't really planning on doing a post about the president speaking to the children. It's all over the internet with people's feelings for or against it. Very strong feelings I might add. And I'm left to wonder why are people so up in arms about this? Let me start off by saying I am NOT a political person by any means. I'm almost afraid to admit this, but it's not often that I vote. I did not vote in the presidential election. My reasoning? Well, I just couldn't decide which candidate I liked best. You see to me Obama just comes off as this person who could sell ocean front property in Arizona to anyone. That's not to say he's not a good man, but I just didn't get a good feeling from him. And McCain well I did agree with a lot of his policies, but I didn't think he would be a strong leader. So my indecision turned into a no vote for me.

Last Friday I was in my children's school and I had heard the principal talking about this speech that Obama was going to give though. I knew it was going to be the message of stay in school and follow your dreams. And while yes I tell my children this every day they are also getting to an age where well lets face it mom doesn't know anything. So to me the more people telling my children to stay in school the better. I didn't see a problem with that. And beyond that the principal mentioned that it ties in perfectly to the 3rd, 4th and 5th grades social studies lesson. So this is a part of their education.

Now living in America we have many wonderful rights and freedoms. We have the right to free speech. That's what makes it okay for me to write here that I didn't vote for our president because he was too much of a salesman for me. So yes, others have the right to say they don't want the president talking to their children. But what I don't get is why does it have to trickle down and be that no ones children can watch it? The principal of my girls' school was saying that there were principals in the district who were refusing to show it regardless of parent consent. They just did not want the fight. I am glad my children don't go to any of those schools.

My children have the right to an education. And that education should include everything that is appropriate to what they are being taught. I chose to send my children to public school. I could have home schooled them and monitored every single thing they were being taught. Making sure that anything I personally did not believe did not get into their heads. But I don't want my children to be mini mes believing everything I believe. I want them to have my values and morals, yes. But I do not want them blindly following what I say just because I say it. I want them to be independent thinkers. I want them to make their own choice about politics and not do something just because I am doing it.

Where does the line in the sand get drawn? Are our children going to be banned from watching key speeches in history because it might be offensive to someone? Will Martin Luther Kings I have a dream speech be banned because some KKK member doesn't like the person who gave the speech? When does it end? Our children already can't have a Christmas party at school because it's offensive to those children who don't celebrate Christmas. Can't have a Halloween party because it's offensive to the children who don't celebrate Halloween. They have to invite every child in their class to their birthday party because we don't want hurt feelings. Now we have to get permission for the leader of our free country to talk to our children? It just goes against everything our forefathers envisioned for this country.

We have at least four years of speeches from our president people. Lets be respectful and listen to what he has to say. We don't have to agree, but we should listen. And we should be proud to have a leader who takes the time out to talk to our children and give them this important message. It might not be needed for your child, but for someone who doesn't have a parent at home telling him to stay in school, work hard, and follow your dreams this message could be a real life saver and something that turns his life around. So those that are so against the president and what he has to say need to stop and think about someone other than yourselves. Instead think about the child a message like this could be saving. The children are our future, lets give them every opportunity to be the best they can be.